Shoesorter
Momexx has produced moulds for "van Riet Material Handling Systems’ for a new type of shoesorter. That is part of a grader which - among other things - can be used for sorting packages. The purpose of the shoesorter is to efficiently process packets. Packets are first introduced, then pooled and identified. After that the shoesorter "pushes" the packet to the correct sort destination. This is the second generation shoesorter.
Project launch
Based on the job requirements and 2D drawings that were provided by 'van Riet', Momexx first investigated the feasibility of the product and the construction. The shoesorter is a complex product. It must be able to ‘push’ packets of various sizes, weights and shapes into the right direction. Strength was an important condition of the shoesorter.
Problem
During the first phase of the trial, FEM analysis showed that the shoesorter did not yet achieve the desired strength. Moreover, the steel frame plate shifted during the test spray. This required the expertise of Momexx. Using propositions (optimization), Momexx eventually came to the right results and launched the final production of the moulds.
Moulds
Momexx produced three one cavity moulds for the shoesorter. These are fully produced in the own factory of Momexx in China. The multi component moulds are partly made of hardened steel.
The final product
The shoesorter is made with a C-shaped steel frame plate. This brings the advantage of a compact sorter process. The shoesorter consists of several parts: a 2K product and a product around the steel plate that is "sprayed". This is achieved by using overmoulding: At the 2K product the hard plastic body - the first part of PA6 – is produced by a one cavity mould and this part is manually placed in another mould. It is then moulded in part by a soft TPE; a rubbery material that flattens the collision energy peak when the package is pushed away. At the product with the steel frame plate, the steel plate (a die cutter part) is held in place by pins and a magnet. This is then sprayed around with a PA6 product.
The shoesorter is now widely in use in various packet services.